The ubiquitous adhesive label is available in a myriad of configurations for use in various applications, including specialty applications. The typical an adhesive label includes pressure-sensitive adhesive on its back side and initially laminated to an underlying release liner.
Adhesive labels may be found in individual sheets, or joined together in a fan-fold stack, or in a continuous roll. Label rolls are typically used in commercial applications requiring high volume use of labels.
One type of label roll may be in the form of a web and does not include a liner sheet. Such label rolls are known as linerless label rolls. The labels may be formed of thermal paper for sequential printing of individual labels in a direct thermal printer. Or, a thermal transfer printer may also be used. The front surface of the label web may be coated with a release coating. In the fast food industry, linerless labels may be used in identifying individual food products in typical sales transactions.
A preferred release coating for use with all types of adhesive labels is silicone. However, silicone is perceived to be environmentally unfriendly.
Moreover, the standard adhesive used for silicone tends to be too tacky and causes blocking or picking with non-silicone release coatings. Further, high-tack adhesives can cause print jams or even stop printing all together. Adhesives, if not properly formulated, can also include chemicals that can image any thermal print layer on a label when those adhesives come into contact with the thermal print layer. Still further, if the adhesive is too similar to the release layer, the adhesive film can spilt and adhere to the thermal print layer. So, the adhesive needs a strong bonding capability to prevent adhesive film splitting.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a label having a silicone-free release layer with a strong-bonding adhesive that does not adversely impact printers that image the label.